I Had Nothing to Do With--- You Know What? Screw It

[Demi Smith]

Demi skid on a clod of dirt and felt her body hit a door hard enough to drive the air from even her lean body. the collision sent a puff of dirt from the young girl, leaving a bit on the frame. Demi pulled it all with her, pushing off the frame and moving forward, trying to launch herself at the actual culprit behind this little dirt storm. Being Security Squad, beta, meant that Demi actually got to do cool stuff like this from time to time: chase down minor culprits. This one had actually been trying to break into the girls' dorm, despite definitely not having the right parts.

Demi didn't care too much about that: she cared about having the chance to get somebody. What she hadn't counted on was this guy being another terrakinetic. Demi had been dealing with mud and actually cleaning up as she went, grabbing stuff and trying to leave the path behind her clear. It was putting a strain on her, making it way harder than it should be to catch up with the dude. Then came the clipping, not the first, and Demi was entering the first floor proper.

She flung her hands out, shot-gunning some of the dirt and hitting him. However, just as she started toward him, she felt the floor going slick. Demi had about a second to realize that the guy had a friend: a hydrokinetic, before she hit the ground and lost all sense. She came to a little later, head spinning, staring up at the ceiling, and surrounded by dirt, mud, and crap...

...and staring at a dorm monitor. "Great," Demi mumbled, closing her eyes and wincing, "just... awesome."

Tamara Sulik

[Tamara Sulik]

Tamara's first instinct when she saw the girl on the floor was to make sure she was alright. Once that would be proven, she would then fetch a mop and make her clean up her mess. Some explanation might be required first, of course, but someone would clean this and that someone was not her. Tamara was ready to believe that maybe, maybe, this girl was not entirely responsible for this mess, that someone might have tossed some of that mud at her and played a terrible joke that got her to fall over and hurt herself. That is, Tamara was ready to think that until she saw who the girl in the middle of the mud was.

Demi Smith. Oddly enough, Tamara didn't have to deal with the girl a lot. She had been warned about her, about her character and the trouble she may cause. She was also aware that this girl was an earth manipulator or whatever name they gave to people like her. She also knew she was always dirty as she came some of that dirt on her at all times. In one word, this might just have run into a puddle of water and the dirt on her person caused it to turn into mud. Tamara was no cleaning expert but she’d dare say it was a lot easier to clean water than mud.

The girl finally opened her eyes. It took her a moment to notice Tamara but it was clear she spotted her now. The woman was debating whether she should be bossy or motherly. These two parts of her were arguing with each other, leaving her somewhat torn in between. “You’re good?” she asked, her tone not as concerned as it should for the words. She kneeled, intending to help her sit. “Once your head stops spinning, you care to explain what happened here?” Again, Tamara couldn’t help but consider this was partially Demi’s fault and as such could not be as concerned of her wellbeing as she probably should. The girl was not a scared little thing unable to control her power. If she caused this, she should take responsibility.

[Demi Smith]

Good? Demi shifted slightly, testing the various wounded areas of her body. She ended up nodding slightly: she was more or less good. Yeah, she'd been unconscious, which meant another trip to the infirmary, but Demi had already gotten to know just about everyone there at this point. She'd gotten more beat up than this with sparring matches before.

The question had Demi coughing up a laugh. She closed her eyes for a bit, taking a breath. "Why?" she asked, before opening them and looking to her. "Not like you're going to believe me. You probably already pulled up my record and was all 'oh, it's that cultist girl with her crazy ways' and junk. So can we just skip the part where you pretend like you actually care about me and you can just forbid me from leaving the school grounds for another month?"

Demi shifted and looked around, not at all surprised to see the mud and whatnot around. She groaned and pushed herself upright, her body protesting the movements but not more than she could handle. She gestured, pulling some mud toward her; it moved sluggishly. "Probably going to make me clean this up too," she mumbled, reaching up with the head to rub her face, consequently smearing dirt and mud all over her complexion.

[Tamara Sulik]

Tamara might be considered hard, by some students and sometimes by herself too, but she was not totally cold-hearted. If that girl was injured, it didn’t matter whether she was the cause of this or not, she would make sure she was fine. And then she’ll have her deal with the consequences. Tamara wondered if it was not best to send her to the infirmary though. She fell down and the woman had no idea how long she stayed like this. She found her like this but she did not see the actual falling so it was hard to tell for sure. She still considered that maybe she should go on the safe side. She didn’t want the school to say something happened to this girl because she didn’t do her job properly. She needed this job. But before worrying, she’ll see how this girl could stand on her two feet. She’ll decide then.

Except that this was no shy and sorry little girl she had before her, it was Demi Smith. When it came to authority, it seemed you needed more than being a staff member and she a student for it to work, you had to prove yourself somehow. This was not to go well with Tam. Tam didn't like being told what to do, even less by a snotty fourteen year old. “That seems to be a very good job,” she was unable to hold back. Reminding herself who was supposed to be the adult in charge here, she stared at Demi. “As long as you’re here, you are under our care, all of you, so I will ask what happened and you will answer,” she told Demi. She tried not to sound too angry. She was not the first teenager here who tried to act like she was above the rules and even more above those who enforced the rules here. Tam couldn’t take that however.

She stood up as Demi did and kept a hand ready to grab the girl should she be wobbly on her feet. She would help Demi if she needed it. She had to show more attitude of course which only made Tamara grumpy. “I’ll keep considering that if you don’t change your tone,” she replied. The girl covered her face with mud. She’ll have to clean that too. But figuring that could wait, she looked at Demi and expected some answers.

[Demi Smith]

Okay, so the lady clearly knew who Demi was, based on what she said and all that stuff. There was the whole "I'm in charge" tone going on there. And hey, check that out: the "you're under our care so you listen to our rules." There was something about how she was so going to ask what happened and listen, but Demi seriously doubted the actual listening part. The moment this woman had seen Demi standing there covered in mud she'd made her decision and Demi was just going to have to deal with it.

"I told--" Demi began, only to stop as Tam mentioned the whole cleaning thing. She rolled her eyes and extended a hand. "I'm a terrakinetic," she reminded Tamara rather needlessly. She'd already started focusing, moving all the dirt and mud on her arm into a loose ball at the end of her arm. When it came to power control, Demi was aces, and she knew it. She looked up at Tamara with raised brows, obviously knowing that this was an impressive feat. It should be: Demi spent several months perfecting it.

Then a roll of the arm and most of it slid back onto Demi. "A guy was trying to break into the girls' dorms," she said, figuring she might as well try. "He was another terrakinetic. So I did what I'm supposed to do: I ran after him. Turns out the guy had a friend," Demi nodded toward the floor. "Which is where all the water came from. 'cuz I can't do that," she pointed and, because she couldn't stop herself: "yet." Oh, but give it time. Demi was determined to become something of a grandmaster of her ability, after all. "It knocked me out. You showed up," Demi gestured and then started running her hands over her body, smoothing the mud and dirt out into her own usual covering.

[Tamara Sulik]

Why did everyone in this school seem to believe she was a grumpy and harsh dorm monitor? She didn’t think she was being unfair with anyone. She might throw punishment at some a little faster than others but it all depended on their behaviour. Some felt bad enough already not to need something big, others needed to learn to respect the school and the staff. She was aware this girl had some control over the earth, which left her with the question of who added water to the mix. Someone who manipulated water she fought with or just someone who thought it would be funny to throw water at her? It might also be someone who spilled some there and she fell. Tamara was open to these possibilities but if Demi refused to answer her, she would have to note it with only her name mentioned and others might decide to jump to some conclusion.

At least she cleaned it up easily, gathering the mud to her into a ball, leaving only small traces on the floor, mostly of the little water that had not been absorbed. Demi had the right to gloat, it was impressive, especially coming from someone her age. People older than she was had less control than that. Of course, few were those who trained as much as she did, but her diligence on the matter was not something Tamara knew about her. So she was just impressed yet tried not to look too much. She nodded though, glad that this was one detail they wouldn’t have to worry about. It was clean.

Tamara wished she was not considered the hard one. She didn’t mean to look so grumpy all the times. Usually, she liked her work and could handle the students without any problem. But then one had to force her to get into their drama and she hated that so much. And then another would talk back and get on her nerves. She could have a short fuse, especially when not taking seriously. And some teenagers just couldn’t treat adults with the respect they deserved. Some adults too, but that was another matter not relevant here.

Demi finally explained, as she asked her. She frowned at the mention of a boy trying to sneak in the girls’ dorms. “Running after him was not exactly what you should have done,” she pointed out but her tone didn’t sound too much like this was a lecture. She couldn’t leave him in there too either. If that was the truth, that is. And then a friend and the fact she claimed she could yet do all of that on her own. She did not reply she was not likely to control water as well as earth to create mud but she sure thought it. She had no idea if she was the kind to lie her way through things. In a way, she wanted to believe her, but with only her version... “Do you know that boy and his friend? Or would you be able to recognize him?” she said after a moment, debating what she should think of all of this. This started to sound like police work, making her look at pictures to see which terrakinetic did that and have him try to explain why she was accusing him of this. Tamara was not really into playing the cop. But what else could she do? She knew what. “We’ll get you to the infirmary first, just to make sure.”

[Demi Smith]

Huh, the older woman seemed to actually be listening to Demi. That was relatively novel, even if she had run into one or two other people who were willing to actually listen when she opened her mouth. That Beth woman immediately came to mind. Tamara wasn't Beth though: she actually had a hardness to her that reminded Demi more of Ceres than anything else.

"I'm on the Security Squad," Demi argued, albeit with a little less outright spite and defiance than she'd had just a few moments ago. "So it's sort of my job," and she'd really been looking forward to doing it. She didn't see any point in adding that part though: just kept her mouth shut and kept her attention focused on the woman. If she was willing to listen, then Demi supposed she should be at least a little cooperative. The girl made certain to smooth out the dirt and whatnot on her before continuing, not wanting to divide her attention between keeping something like that together and going along with the conversation.

Did she know the guy? "Not really," Demi offered, adding a slight shrug. "I'd recognize him, and his stupid friend," Demi said, before pausing and looking away for a moment. "Okay, maybe not the friend..." she started to trail off, mostly because she was just catching the bit about the infirmary. Demi's mouth opened to protest, but her head swam a bit, causing her to actually sway. The girl thrust her hand out, shooting a bit of dirt to correct and nearly overdid it. She ended up taking a step back and just barely managed to keep herself fully upright.

[Tamara Sulik]

That girl, on the security squad? They allowed kindergarten too? She seemed rather young, not to add small, to be a part of it. But she was not in charge of the security squad and unless she had some bad things to say about the behaviour of one of its members, she doubted her opinion would matter much. Demi did speak on a somewhat more respectful tone, or at least with less venom in it. With kids like her, it could almost be considered a small victory. But it was not enough, of course.

“It’s actually a little more my job,” she pointed out. She was the one responsible of the dorms and even though it was kind of nice of the security squad to try and help like that, obviously, it did not always have the expected results. If she had not run after this guy, she wouldn’t be in that situation, although Tamara was more wondering why this guy was in the girls’ dorms and if his friend was playing the lookout somehow. This was not to please her for sure, but they wouldn’t be the first boys trying that one out. There was almost a satisfaction coming over to Tamara when she caught them, showing them that whatever they came up with, dozens of people did before and she started to know the tricks. Although throwing water to make you bang your head on the floor while chasing them was kind of a first.

Tamara nodded when Demi assured her she could recognize the guy. That would make things easier. Sure, she wanted his friend also but all this could wait until she brought Demi to the infirmary. You don’t pass out on the floor unless you hit your head hard and if she had a concussion, she wanted to make sure she’ll be fine from now on. She didn’t want to, obviously, but before she could say anything, she started to sway and Tamara had to grab her to help her stand up straight. “Still think it’s not necessary. I’m not giving you a choice so you better come with me,” she said. She could have called them, she supposed, make them come over. But as long as Demi as not losing consciousness again and she was there to make sure the girl would not fall over, she figured it would be fine to walk there. If she noticed that Demi was too weak, she’ll just walk her to her office and call them.

[Demi Smith]

"Well, you weren't exactly around to do it," Demi retorted hotly, her eyes flashing. the dirt and dust around her did a little wave at it, obviously reacting to her emotions. She paused for a moment, mostly because of the whole dizziness and whatnot that was soon in coming.

Demi didn't fight Tamara's steadying hand. She probably could; she was actually convinced that she could probably flip the woman if it came down to. However, she didn't want to: she was supposed to be playing along with some of the adults if she wanted things to actually go her way. Plus, well, Demi was actually feeling a bit dizzy and she knew the infirmary people were good at their job.

"Whatever," she mumbled, taking a step forward. "I'll go get checked out, since you're gonna be all strict about it," but Demi wasn't moving quick enough to really squirm out of Tamara's grip. if anything, she seemed to be purposefully going slow, obviously still using some of that steadying hand. It definitely wasn't the first time that Demi had gone through the wringer and wound up wobbling afterwards.

[Tamara Sulik]

Demi was not the first to give her an attitude, not even under such circumstances. Tamara was not going to let this girl scare her or look down because, indeed, she had not been around to catch the Peeping Tom in action. She stared at Demi however when she saw the dirt on her person react to her emotion. Tamara did not have the ability to suppress the girl’s power but she believed she had enough authority in her face and voice to make her calm down if necessary. She didn’t need to however for she did on her own. Or more like the dizziness did that for her.

Demi still had an attitude. Something that made Tamara believe she wanted to tell her she didn’t need any of her help. Yet, at the same time, she was not pushing her away. It was probably best, at last until Tamara was certain Demi could stand without feeling this dizzy. “I am but feel free not to take concussions seriously,” she replied. Demi could believe it was nothing, that would not stop Tamara from forcing this on her. You don’t take lightly a blow to the head, even if you’re to feel better after. And Demi was clearly dizzy so it must have hit hard. Tamara was not letting her head back to her room without making sure she saw a nurse first. Even if she has to drag the nurse out of their office and into Demi’s room.

Although it seemed like she wouldn’t have to. She could walk her to a nurse without too much of a problem. Finally, one good news in her day!

[Demi Smith]

"I know that," Demi grumbled, still not fighting as Tamara led her along to the infirmary. "If you get injured in the head you should always check it out so you don't get brain damage or something. Any idiot knows that," she added a slight sniff of derision. It was something that had actually been drummed into Demi and her clan during their training. Many injuries could be ignored, and you were supposed to push through pain. However, the moment you could properly align your body again, you should. The Divine Will had graced people with healing abilities for a reason.

So Demi walked her way toward the infirmary, feeling very put out by all this. Yet again she'd done something she was supposed to and yet again she was going to end up punished for it. The whole thing struck her as entirely unfair and she wanted to yell or scream or better yet punch something.

"What can you do anyway?" Demi asked, looking up at Tamara, again sizing her up. The woman had authority: she carried herself like someone who was confident in herself. Demi was betting she could do something really cool. Maybe that steel skin thing.

[Tamara Sulik]

There goes the attitude again, acting like Tamara’s concern was unnecessary yet still giving credits to her words. At the same time though, the way she said it didn’t sound like Tam’s words had been very intelligent. It was frustrating and clearly getting on Tam’s nerves but she made an effort not to lash out. It was not the worst she heard from a student and she knew that no matter what they’d say, if she replied in the same way, she would be in the wrong. She might feel more comfortable with her place both at the school and in America now, she still couldn’t help having this impression of being alone against the world. Therefore, she kept a low profile so they would not want to fire her ass and never trusted anyone but herself to do something.

Hence why she accompanied Demi to the infirmary. “At least you know that, it makes it a lot easier on me as I don’t have to fight with you,” she replied, unable to wholly hide that dryer side of her. There was a reason why some of the students chose to call her grumpy. Tamara was aware of that. But she was not here to be their friends so if she had to be a little hard on them at times and be called that, so be it. She always believed she was fair in her interactions with them. She was not punishing one when it was done by accident. And she happened to help on occasions. Besides, she refused to think she could be weak enough to let their words get to her.

Demi asked a question on their way. Tam frowned slightly, not sure exactly what she meant by that. “What do you mean? What I can do in this situation?” Because if she thought Tamara was powerless here, she might have to review her opinion.

[Demi Smith]

No, she didn't have to fight Demi, at least for now. Demi had to smirk slightly at that, wondering what a fight with this woman would be like. Demi would probably lose. This woman just had that whole take no prisoners thing going for her. It actually made Demi feel a bit guilty, yet again, for being so snarky. At the same time, she couldn't really blame herself: the whole situation kinda sucked.

Hence the question, which had apparently spurred another. "Like," Demi said, gesturing, "what can you do to them? To me? Aren't you, like, some kind of dorm monitor or something?" Demi looked up, again wondering why they picked someone who struck her as being almost badass for a position that sounded really passive. "Doesn't that mean you just sort of watch? And what could you do if you even found the guys who did this?"

Demi couldn't help but sound aggravated. This just... was exactly what kept happening. "Sorry, it's just--- you people keep blaming me for all this crap! I was just doing what I'm supposed to be doing and--" she raised her hands and then lowered them to her sides, letting out a groan of frustration. Demi had long since given up on trying to actually explain the situation to any of the staff here. They just seemed not only not to get it, but to generally not care.

[Tamara Sulik]

Tamara knew she should not complain about the situation. She could wish all she wanted to be dealing with kids playing their music too loud instead, she would have wished for something else had it been the case. The kids causing you trouble might not be as much as those who kept to their things and remained quiet, but they caused trouble for all of those too. Although she was ready to give some benefit of the doubt about Demi right now. She doubted the girl chose to bang her head on the floor and pass out for a few minutes on purpose.

She had no idea that Demi might consider her badass-looking. She was, she would say as much and definitely would take it as a compliment. But she had no special ability to force a student to calm down, nor any experience as security. The closest she could get with her competences was dorm monitor. Then again, she was not sure she would have been appropriate for security.

What Demi said after though had Tamara frown a bit. This sounded almost like an insult, a shot blown right at her competences. Something Tamara never particularly liked. The way she saw it, this girl did not view in high regards her position, degrading it to the point of simply watching things. “It might surprise you, but not everything that’s happening in the dorms is important enough to call security. I’m the one who has to take care of those situations. And call the required staff when needed. And make sure everyone is where they’re supposed to be,” she told her. She did her best to quiet her temper but it certainly came out a little. That kind of situation always brought it up. She just hated to feel her sense of responsibility was being questioned.

Demi then explained it had more to do with that other guy and what she could really do about it. She sounded defeated and for a moment Tamara felt bad for the little temper flare she gave her just then. “I never said I’ve blamed you, but I cannot take only your word for it and not hear their version. For that, I need to find out who he is first then talk to him,” she told Demi with a quieter tone of voice. She doubted much would happen to this guy as the school certainly viewed walking in the girls’ dorms as a minor offense but she wouldn’t let Demi think she only grabbed her and chose to blame her all for it. “Besides, you control earth no? If there was dirt all over, I’d blame you, but it was mud. If there was a puddle of water there, I’d like to know why.”

[Demi Smith]

It actually did surprise Demi, and she felt slightly... abashed at actually having made her statement earlier. She should've expected as much, given how well this woman carried herself. "I bet you can handle a bunch too,' Demi said, a good deal softer than before. She'd have to save more of that for later, however, as Tamara again went on, insisting that she didn't blame, that she needed both sides. There was some quiet sincerity there; Demi did pick it up.

"Yeah, the water," Demi repeated, mumbling slightly, "but don't think that means I trust you. Everyone here just loves to tell me how awful I am, and you're a part of them too. Apparently you're even a bigger part of it all than I thought," Demi gave Tamara another hard look, not quite a glare, but in that general area. It didn't last for long, however, as a sudden wave of dizziness hit Demi.

It hit her hard enough that she stumbled, flailing out with her hands for a moment. She blinked several times too, trying to reestablish some form of equilibrium here, not wanting to face-plant again. This stupid head injury thing sucked, and she definitely didn't like having to deal with it with Tamara here.